Muhammad Bello Matawalle, the minister of State for Defence, onerous task ahead of him. It appears he is more at home with the job of a spokesman to President Bola Tinubu than performing the task of Defence minister of state. It is nauseating that he has turned himself into the spokesman of the president and wants all appointees from the North to do same.

Perhaps, we need to remind Matawalle that insecurity is deplorable and as the junior minister of Defence, that should trouble him, more so that the president has assured Nigerians that his appointees would be subjected to thorough performance monitoring and evaluation.

Unfortunately, it seems this former governor of Zamfara State and a former lawmaker has a somewhat contorted understanding of his role. He seems to be thinking his brief is merely to defend the president. If not, why should he reduce his position to that of responding to criticisms from the Northern Elders Forum (NEF)? It was so tough that Matawalle had to issue a statement urging all northern appointees to either defend Tinubu or quit office.

His quarrel with the NEF The squabble between Matawalle and the NEF started when the group claimed the north regretted voting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, insisting that it would not repeat such mistake in 2027.

NEF spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, had said, “The North made a mistake in voting Bola Tinubu to the presidency in 2023, and it is unlikely that they will repeat the same error in the future.

“Moving forward, the North will be more cautious in selecting a candidate for the presidency. They will prioritise someone who is seen as more inclusive, less controversial, and more aligned with the interests of all regions of the country.”

Taking a swipe at the NEF, Matawalle described its members as mere “political paperweight trying to embark on a destructive journey that will bring the North to disrepute for the group’s personal and selfish gains.

“This NEF is more of a political burden to Northerners. The group is seeking to erode other people’s rights in order to be recognised or made relevant in the scheme of things despite the failure of their sponsored candidates in the 2023 general elections,” he added.
NEF, a paperweight?

It is amusing that someone who emerged as governor by accident and tried to no avail to seek reelection because he lacks the requisite relevance will come out openly to describe a formidable group like NEF as paperweight. Indeed, words are cheap.

For all I know, Matawalle needs to be reminded that the NEF has remained consistent in calling out bad governance. The Forum was unapologetic in condemning the mis-governance of former President Muhammadu Buhari. It consistently called out the Buhari government for failing with distinction and in so doing, became the only dissenting voice from the north.

I recall that sometimes in 2022 NEF had asked PMB to resign for failing to combat insecurity, which was one of the three things he promised to prioritise when elected. In a series of statements, the group called out the former president for failing to provide the sort of leadership Nigerians required. Less than one year after the Buhari tenure, even his die-hard supporters have come out to say what mess the administration was.

So, what NEF is doing now by calling out the PBAT government is not new. But why shouldn’t they when we are dealing with a government that told us that subsidy is gone, yet still pays subsidy? Former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai, recently declared that the government was paying more for fuel subsidy. We are dealing with a government that floated the naira, yet is spending to stabilise the naira; a government that suspended electricity tariff at a time most Nigerians are battling with high cost of living.

And one wonders why NEF elects to be a voice of reason by calling out the government? To my mind, NEF is doing the right thing. It must sustain the tempo in offering constructive criticisms to this government because Nigerians deserve better. But between the NEF and Matawalle, who is a paperweight?

Real paperweight Nothing qualifies Matawalle for appointment as minister than the fact that he served as Northwest coordinator for PBAT. And as the coordinator, he performed woefully, leading to PBAT’s woeful lost in Katsina, Kano and Kaduna States- three of the ruling APC’s vote banks for the zone.

Atiku Abubakar, PBAT’s main challenger, won in Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna and Katsina States, while Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s NNPP won the Kano presidential poll with a landslide. Tinubu’s APC won the other two states of Jigawa and Zamfara. The impact of such a win is not phenomenal because the real votes are in the states lost. So, what is Matawalle beating his chest for?

I think Matawalle himself knows that his only qualification for appointment as cabinet member was the die-hard support he offered to the Tinubu project and that is why even as minister of State for Defence, with security still being precarious, Matawale is fascinated about defending PBAT’s politics. He has reduced his work to that of merely defending PBAT and his politics.

But those who are surprised need be reminded that he governed Zamfara for 4 years and performed woefully.

Zamfara, under Matawalle’s leadership from 2019-2023, was a study in failure. There is nothing – absolutely nothing – to show and that is why the voters rejected him resoundingly.

Arguably, the ministerial appointment provided Matawale a political lifeline because having lost his battle to reclaim the Zamfara governorship seat, he well would have been hibernating by now. So, one expects him to do all it takes to leave a mark. The Northwest states of Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna and Zamfara, his native state, are worst hit by the current insecurity. What Matawalle has yet to do is to rally the governors of these states for a frontal war on this menace. Rather, he is fascinated about defending PBAT’s politics to the point of attacking the NEF.

Like Matawalle, like El-Rufai

In the build-up to the 2023 polls, then Governor Nasir El-Rufai who accused the northern elders of working against power shift to the South also described the northern elders as mere paperweights.
In his usual frenzy, El-Rufai declared that the 19 governors of the northern states were the real elders of the North. Therefore, Matawalle is not alone on this path of denigrating the elders. But it won’t be out of place to remind Minister Matawalle that after insulting the northern elders because of Bola Tinubu’s election, El-Rufai is no longer in bed with Asiwaju’s government.

Minister Matawalle needs to be reminded of the time-tested Hausa saying that ‘Idan gemun dan uwanka ya kama da wuta shafawa naka ruwa’. He can do well for himself, the north and the nation by focusing more on his responsibilities as Defence minister of state rather than waiting to respond to criticism from NEF to the point of denigrating the northern elders who people this all-important forum.